Claude Lévi-Strauss, the French Anthropologist, was not known as a gardener. His claim to fame was the concept that the logic of cultural archetypes and myths (our world view) were structured around binary oppositions such as raw vs. cooked, edible vs. inedible, and, in Trumpian America, truth vs. alternative facts (better known as lies). “The gardener’s framework revolves … [Read more...]
A gift that gives back to a rare SA forest
Astonishingly, only 0.5% of land in South Africa is forested. And within this, our increasingly rare mistbelt forests occupy an even tinier fraction. On the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal lies one such special place. Ferncliffe. It is the precious remnant of a biome that originally stretched over 2000 hectares. In a largely dry country, Ferncliffe is blessed … [Read more...]
The importance of good gardening practices
“While the impact of climate change is more visible than ever, decisions to limit carbon emissions at COP26 have, yet again, been neutered by the leaders of large carbon emitting countries,” says Gavin Heron, founder of Earth Probiotic. Lead by India, China and South Africa, disappointingly, changed a stronger “phasing out of coal" commitment to a weaker "phasing down of … [Read more...]
West Coast oil exploration opposed by civil society
This week, The Green Connection submitted its comments critiquing several aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, particularly the lack of procedural fairness, as well as the conclusions reached – notwithstanding information gaps and scientific uncertainty – that should form part Tosaco Energy’s request to undertake various activities in Block 1, off the … [Read more...]
Connecting home to nature at the heart of true wellness
Today’s architecture takes its cues from nature. And rightfully so. It’s the underlying ethos of many new North Coast residential estates where developers have rehabilitated land once used for sugar cane farming or now overcome with alien vegetation. This architectural vision mimics natural shapes and forms, makes use of natural materials, and integrates design features that … [Read more...]
Recycle and reuse your trash for a cleaner environment
According to the EPA, the average person produces approximately 4.9 pounds of “solid waste” or trash per day. Thankfully, you can recycle many everyday household items to help promote a cleaner, greener environment. Recycling and reusing items can help each individual to produce less trash that goes into landfills, ultimately harming our soil, air, and water. We’ve come … [Read more...]
Bringing nature back to KwaNobhule
Greening the Community is a collaborative project between Indalo Nursery, Community Conservation Fund Africa and the Wilderness Foundation Africa. It aims to bring nature back to the KwaNobhule township but also to encourage residents to green the space in which they live, their community and ultimately their country and planet. The pivot behind the project is John … [Read more...]
Only 12 years to avert 2 degrees of global warming
Only half a degree warmer would result in double the severity of the consequences to this planet. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was released on 8th October. It focuses on the differences between a 1.5- and 2-degree global warming future climate scenario. The main points of the report, based on 6000 scientific papers and approved by all … [Read more...]
Sugarbush Ridge Ecosystem threatened by rapid urbanisation
The Black Eagles of Roodekrans are a world famous breeding pair of urban Eagles that live on the red cliffs (Roodekrans) in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens next to the Witpoortjie waterfall. Several generations of these Eagles have lived here for about 80 years and are followed the world over. Should the urban pressure become too much to bear and the birds can no … [Read more...]
Keeping our Cape tidal pools safe for human and marine life
Cape Town’s coast is dotted with 19 tidal pools, beautiful man-made seawater pools that allow for safe, family-friendly bathing. Dalebrook and St James, on the False Bay coast, are two of the most popular spots. Here, kids splash in the shallows, people swim lengths and regulars enjoy daily submersions in the chilly water. The pools also serve as sanctuaries for numerous sea … [Read more...]
Drought adaptation DIY style: steps to save water
January was not for chickens in the Cape – extreme drought and fires saw the gardens shrivel up and die. So sad to witness and feel the distress all round. Once our veggie plants got stressed the diseases followed. Watching your water consumption with Stage 3 water restrictions and growing food without the farmer’s concessions calls for innovation. How to capture each … [Read more...]
Offsetting SA carbon emissions with indigenous spekboom
Portulacaria afra is a South African succulent that is widespread across the country, growing in most gardens and urban areas. What makes it such a popular house plant is due to it’s superb tolerance to drought and wind. Portulacaria afra is often referred to as Spekboom (in Afrikaans) or Porkbush (in English) and is part of the Portulacaceae family. It occurs naturally in … [Read more...]
Simple pool conversion via floating island
I’d known for years that my chemical pool was not cool at all. And pumping the salty or chlorine backwash water towards the wetland was not the way a responsible citizen should behave. I see my neighbours’ water flowing down the street and into the storm water drains. Everything ends up in the environment, always. There is no away on this planet. I have written some stories … [Read more...]
